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Hominids

The hominids (variously known as Humans, Homo Sapiens, Hominids, Annihilators, Dominators, and other local titles by Protected species) are a sapient species native to the Sol system.

Hominids are bipedal terrestrial mammalian apex predators from the third planet in the Sol system. Their home-world is mostly ocean, with major continents alternatively dominated in extreme latitudes by barren tundra giving way at the equatorial regions to inhospitable deserts. The planet’s weather systems are profoundly unstable, and hominids are believed to have developed in this unrelentingly hostile environment, giving rise to their bipedalism. They are carnivorous, highly-effective pack hunters, capable of sensing motion through audal vibrations and capable of distance sight along the visible spectrum.

A mystery before their sudden arrival on the galactic scene ten Standard Cycles ago, alternating waves of Hominid conquest have since penetrated deep into Protectorate space, attacking protected worlds and one another with equal frequency. Each new wave of invasion seems to be the result of weaker groups being forced out of core human territories and into Protectorate space; this has disturbing implications for the beleaguered forces already stretched to their limits in attempting to manage the marauding hominids. These groups come in a dizzying array of modes of social organization and tactics, making it very hard to predict the disposition of hominid forces.

Hominid technology is dominated by projectile and explosive technology. They are abundant users of nuclear technology, leading scholars to theorize that they may be resistant to radiation. The use of fission weapons to force planetary evacuations, only for human settlers to immediately thereafter replace the planet’s original inhabitants, is well-documented. On an individual scale, their projectile weapons work by principal of biological disruption, flinging shards of metal at high velocity into fragile tissue.

On the battlefield, expect to face hominids in numbers. They are fast-runners and quite dexterous, so be wary of flanking attempts and ambushes. Hominid raiders favor hit-and-run tactics to strike fear into opposing forces, and terror is one of the humans’ most popular weapons. Scientists are still attempting to understand these creatures on better terms, and much is still unknown. Battlefield rumors abound of mortally-wounded humans continuing to fight until incapacitated by blood loss and organ failure, sometimes despite entire missing limbs and grievous injuries, so it has become common practice to treat even wounded humans as capable combatants.